Deadly Conflict Between Israel and the Palestinians Throws Daily Life into Chaos

The tension between Israelis and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip has been going on for years. However despite peace talks, the tension has escalated into bomb attacks following the deaths of teenagers from Israel and the Gaza Strip. Residents from both sides are deeply affected by constant rocket attacks. Listen to this radio story to learn how the conflict has affected daily life.

Related Current Events

Israelis and Palestinians have had conflicts for centuries. Recently the violence and death toll on both sides has dramatically increased. The focus of the dispute is on one site in the Holy Land that is sacred to both Jews and Muslims. It’s known as Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims. According to an agreement in 1967, Muslim religious authorities administer the site, Israel controls security, and non-Muslims are not allowed to pray there. Jewish activists have recently decided that this is a holy place where Jews should pray, and their mass visits have caused protests. Listen to hear how control over Temple Mount has led to violence and threatens stability in the country.

A generation ago, Israelis and Palestinians were able to mix and interact. Now with Israel's physical separation between Israelis and Palestinians, the two peoples don't understand each other well. This public radio story explores the lack of empathy among people in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza and how it fuels the conflict.

Gaza is in the middle of a conflict with Israel. The fighting is weighing heavily on daily life in Gaza. Water has always been hard to get, but its even more difficult now that the price of water is going up because of the conflict. Gaza relies on electricity to desalinize their water and power is also a scarce resource during this conflict. Listen to this radio story to learn more.

The fighting between Israel and the Palestinians is disrupting normal life for people living in both areas. Daily life looks very different on both sides, as the West Bank looks like a village and Israel proper looks like California. One man who is walking around the world following the path of ancient man stops to reflect what he saw while passing through the West Bank and Israel. Listen to this public radio story to hear what he saw.

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